BRENTWOOD — This city will elect a new mayor and decide between candidates running for council seats on Nov. 5.
Mayor Joel Bryant’s decision to not seek reelection has left the seat open to District 3 Councilmember Susannah Meyer and Planning Commission member Gerald Johnson. The District 1 council seat is between Planning Commissioner Chairperson Anita Roberts and law enforcement officer Faye Maloney, while District 1 voters can elect either Councilperson Jovita Mendoza, who was moved out of District 3 after redistricting, or Oakland fire Capt. Brian Oftedal.
In the mayor’s race, Meyer and Johnson agree on increasing the number of affordable housing included in new home projects, saying Brentwood has become too expensive for teachers, first responders, and people who grew up there and are trying to buy their first homes.
Meyer wants slower growth, after a quick rise in population resulted in crowded schools and roads.
“This council raised the affordable housing (allocation) to 13%; at one point, it was zero, meaning developers would come in and build a community that did not provide any affordable houses,” she said, adding there is an agenda item pending for future city council meetings to raise the percentage.
Johnson said he believes in a conservative increase in the availability of affordable housing to 15% and 17%.
“If you increase it (too high), then the builders might raise the prices of the houses because they want to make the same amount of money,” he said, adding that even his two college graduate sons are unable to afford a home in Brentwood.
Meyer, who is the executive director of the nonprofit Empowered Aging, also hopes to create more affordable housing and programs for adults or seniors with disabilities to make Brentwood a more inclusive community.
Johnson said his business and consulting background can help the city focus on its long-term goals. His vision for Brentwood is rooted in the acronym THRIVE, which stands for togetherness, housing, recreation and culture, inclusion and engagement, volunteerism and the economy.
Both the candidates also want to protect Brentwood’s agricultural sector.
Johnson is endorsed by Brentwood’s District 4 Councilmember Tony Oerlemans, Fremont City Councilmember Teresa Cox and former Brentwood Vice Mayor Johnny Rodriguez, among others.
In the District 1 race, Roberts believes her experience on the planning commission will help her provide better input on land use and development. She said that while the planning commission makes recommendations, there are limits to what can be decided.
“The city council has the ability to review and amend (municipal codes). There’s a lot that the city council can do that the planning commission can’t,” she said. “I want to be on the other side of the absolute change.”
Her top priority would be to increase the percentage of affordable housing to 20% of overall projects, and ensure that developers do not cut corners by splitting single-unit housing into smaller townhomes to meet the quota.
Roberts also wants to focus on ensuring residents have enough local jobs and advocate for controlled growth for the expanding community in Brentwood. With a growing population, Roberts said Brentwood needs to have more police officers and address safety concerns that the residents may have. She is endorsed by Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and the California Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County and the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades, among others.
Coming in with extensive experience in law enforcement, Maloney is advocating for public safety, mental health and economic development. Like Roberts, she also believes in smart growth to address the needs of the community effectively. Maloney, who was abducted by one of her parents as a child and lived in several different countries, also feels strongly in advocating for child-abduction victims. She currently serves as the chairperson of the Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls. Maloney said it is vital for the police department to have ample officers to provide services to the community. She’s also a strong proponent of supporting and preserving Brentwood’s agricultural community and hopes the city focuses on agrotourism.
“I also want to look at a diversified business model to include medical facilities. We don’t have any cancer treatment centers here,” she said. “I’ve heard many complaints from people who live in my district that they have to take a day to go get chemotherapy treatment….it takes a larger toll not just on the patient but also the people who care for them.”
Maloney is endorsed by the Brentwood Police Officers’ Association, Oakley Vice Mayor Shannon Shaw and District 4 Councilmember Oerlemans.
In District 3, Mendoza, a data analytics manager seeking reelection emphasized the importance of financial stability for the city, ensuring city’s pension obligations for its employees are taken care of. For Mendoza, land use for housing and development is a topic close to her heart, adding that the city should maintain its general plan to avoid overbuilding.
“We can’t keep building and think that it’s not going to cause a strain on the infrastructure, which then leads to a negative quality of life for the residents,” she said.
Mendoza also wants to ensure the Sand Creek Sports Complex at Fairview Ave and Sand Creek Road is built so that children and youth have the recreational facilities they need.
Mendoza said the agendas discussed during the Brentwood City Council meetings are “resident-driven” and criticized state-mandated housing bills. She advocates for local control.
“I think cities forget how much power they have. If you’re a city and you get together with all your cities against Sacramento, you could beat them, but for some reason, cities forget that,” she said.
Oftedal, the current chair of the Contra Costa County Fire Advisory Commission, advocates for better public safety, especially in fire protection and emergency preparedness. He hopes to make Brentwood residents a more “fire-wise” community, with programs that prioritize wildfire safety so policyholders can benefit from insurance discounts.
Oftedal said Brentwood needs to build two more firehouses, but the projects have been put on hold.
He also wants the city to fund and implement police officers to work a fifth beat.
“We’ve funded this additional beat with officers, and we still haven’t built out that beat, and a lot of it has to do with recruitment and retention,” he added.
Oftedal acknowledged that Brentwood has been tackling homelessness issues well but hopes to focus more on working with regional partners as he believes the surrounding communities and cities will also have an impact.
He is endorsed by Contra Costa County District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis, Oerlemans and United Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa County L1230, among others.
